Ikea warns of product delays and shortages as Red Sea attacks disrupt shipments
CBSN
Ikea is warning of possible shortages of some of its products as shipping companies bypass the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest trade routes, because of mounting security threats in the region.
A number of major container carriers are diverting shipments from a key waterway that leads to the Suez Canal because of a series of attacks on vessels by Houthi militants from their bases in Yemen, data from freight shipping platform Freightos shows. The Iran-backed Houthis vowed last month to strike ships it suspects of having Israeli ties in a show of support for Hamas, the Gaza-based militia that has been at war with Israel since its Oct. 7 attack on the country.
"The situation in the Suez Canal will result in delays and may cause availability constraints for certain IKEA products," the Swedish furniture retailer's parent company, Inter IKEA Group, told CBS MoneyWatch on Thursday.
